Helping Guests Feel at Home5 churches' bright ideas for a warmer welcome.James Appleby, Gene Appel, Merle Mees, Wayne Ogimachi, Jim Tomberlin| Topics: | Community impact, Fellowship, Hospitality, Newcomers, Outreach, Relationships, Unchurched, Visitors & guests |
| Filters: | Church staff, Evangelism, Greeter, Hospitality, Outreach, Pastor, Usher, Worship leader |
| Purpose: | Evangelism |
| References: | Romans 12:13 , Hebrews 13:2 |
| Date Added: | July 11, 2007 |
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 What has worked for us:
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Parking spaces closest to the building with a sign that reads: First Time
Guests.
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About four times a year, I give a manners talk to the congregation: Guests
get the best parking, the cleanest restrooms, the highest quality nursery,
the warmest welcome ("Make sure to introduce them to others, invite them
to sit with you, offer them directions, invite them to lunch"). I remind
the church what it's like to visit a church for the first time. I give examples
of how to meet people without embarrassing them or yourself: "Hi, my name
is Merle Mees. How long have you been attending Western Hills?"
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Our ushers or greeters do not wear name tags because we want guests to feel
that people aren't nice just because it's their Sunday to do so; rather it's
part of our culture.
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We have a Welcome New Members board in the church lobby. For each person
there is a picture and a brief bio: where they are from, how long they've
attended the church, their family, hobbies, and so on. This helps people
connect with others.
I emphasize the role of leaders in making our church more welcoming. The
staff make a point to mingle with the congregation before and after the worship
celebration. We also work at scripting what is said during the welcome time.
For example:
"Welcome to this time of worship. To the guests among us, we know there are
a number of good churches you could have driven to, and we are honored that
you came here. You'll find the order of worship on the front of the worship
folder and the words to our songs on the inside. If you like to write things
you don't want to forget, you'll find a listening guide on the back of the
worship folder. And if you'd like some information about the church or answers
to some of your spiritual questions, simply fill out the welcome form and
drop it in the offering plate when it comes your way. I'm glad we're here
together."
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We also have a Rapid Response Team that delivers to a visitor's door a personal
note and some cookies immediately following the morning worship. We try to
drop this off before they arrive home. This works well, provided they don't
have dogs hanging around outside!
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We send our guests a personal letter from the pastor along with information
on the church, plus any specific information they requested and a First
Impression Survey on a postage-paid, self-addressed card. The card states,
"Western Hills wants to serve you better, so would you please give us your
opinion? What did you notice first? What did you like best? What did you
like least? Thanks for your input!" We receive back about 50 percent of these
cards) and share them with the appropriate ministry leaders.
—Merle Mees
Western Hills Baptist Church, Topeka, Kansas
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